Do you love New Year’s resolutions? Or do you set goals whenever motivation strikes you?
No matter your style…
Chances are you’ll never reach your goals!
Sadly, the statistics are not in your favor. A whopping 80-90% of New Year’s resolutions fail miserably each year.
Does that mean everyone’s lazy?
No.
The problem starts the minute you set goals. But we can change that. And I will tell you how.
Common reasons why you will never reach your goals
- You confuse goals and aspirations
- You don’t have a plan
- You’re obsessed with results
- You’re all work and no play
- Your reason for your goals sucks
- Your goals don’t excite you
- You have no accountability
Does any of this sound familiar?
If so, we can solve your problem.
Whichever goals you want to achieve. The secret to success is to set the right goals.
Let’s dive into common goal-setting mistakes and how to fix them – so that you can finally reach your goals and create a fantastic life!
You set the wrong goals
Reason 1. You confuse goals and aspirations
This one is huge. Goals and aspirations are not the same.
And when you confuse them, you’ll lose.
Aspirations are abstract and future-oriented. They give your life purpose and meaning.
But you can’t really work on them.
Real goals, on the other hand, are specific and actionable.
So look at your goals.
If your next action steps aren’t clear to you, your goal may actually be an aspiration.
Identify goals and aspirations
Saying “I want to be well-known in my industry” is an aspiration.
But if you say: “Every quarter, I’ll go to 3 industry events – and talk to 5 strangers to connect”, that’s a goal.
If you say, ”I want to be wealthy”, that’s also not actionable.
Try “I intend to earn ten thousand dollars next month doing x” instead.
Which of these options are actionable?
See how specificity changes everything?
Again, examine your goals.
Are they specific and actionable? Or do they suspiciously look like inspiring, but vague, aspirations?
“I want to become a writer” is vaguer than becoming a lawyer. So that’s not a goal.
But writing a book is.
Once you have specific and measurable goals, you can move to the next mistake in this list.
You need patience to reach your goals
Reason 2. You don’t plan your goals
Your goals can feel overwhelming if you don’t break them into small steps.
This is especially true if your goals take a long time to achieve.
If you only focus on how far you still have to go, you’ll get frustrated.
So, write your goals on a piece of paper or use a goal planner (even better).
Break them down from annual goals> to quarterly goals > to weekly goals > to daily tasks.
Define small wins and milestones
Crossing intermediate goals off your list feels epic. Step by step, you get closer to the finish line.
Clear plans also prevent overwhelm and procrastination.
You can also reward yourself for reaching specific milestones. Treat yourself with a new laptop or invest in a class to help with your goals.
Reason 3. You’re obsessed with Results
So, it helps to break your goals into actionable steps.
But you must also stop obsessing over the result.
If you only care whether you’ve reached your goal, you risk giving up.
Focus on progress, not the result.
Let’s see an example…
You want to become a writer (aspiration). And you want to write a book (goal).
The result (a finished book) doesn’t matter as much as the identity you build (being a writer because you write regularly).
If you only focus on the unfinished book, you’ll get frustrated and ignore all the progress you’ve made.
In reality, you wrote every day (progress), and although your book is far from done (result), you’ve built a writing habit.
You are a writer!
But if you only care about “I don’t have a book”, you’ll ignore your progress and abandon your project!
What a waste…
Reason 4. You don’t reward yourself
Reaching your goals takes time and effort. And you don’t always feel like working on them.
So, here’s a neat trick to help you stick to your resolutions.
Use rewards to keep you excited about your goals.
Not big rewards for reaching a milestone – but small rewards for doing daily, boring tasks.
The marble jar reward system
Put 100 marbles in a jar (or a pouch). 10 of those marbles must look different from the others.
Now each time you finish a boring task, you get to pick a marble from the jar (no peeking!).
If it’s one of the regular marbles, nothing happens. You simply leave it out of the jar.
But… if you pick one of the special marbles, you get a reward.
This could be
- your favorite food
- meeting a friend
- a bubble bath
- a Netflix session
- a massage
- a new book
With the marble method, you randomly get a reward – to encourage you to finish tedious, unsatisfying tasks
Never underestimate the power of small steps. They add up over time – until
one day, you reach your goals.
Your goals and aspirations don’t inspire you
Reason 5. You don’t know why your goals matter
Ask yourself why your goals matter.
And look for an honest answer. Not something that sounds good.
It’ll be your secret.
What will you get when you reach your goals?
How will you feel?
The better you imagine your results and how that makes you feel, the higher your chances of reaching your goals.
So who do you want to be?
A successful business owner? A respected expert?
An important influencer?
Decide what success means to you.
Reason 6. You didn’t set inspiring goals
If your goals don’t inspire or energize you, they’re the wrong goals. Or you set them for the wrong reasons.
The right goals make you jump out of bed with excitement.
Maybe you just need to shift your mindset.
Dieting sucks.
But working on a healthy, vibrant new you can be inspiring!
So, set a goal that matters to you. Find a reason that brings you joy.
When you’re excited about working on your goals, you’re more likely to reach them.
And if you need help with this, download your free vision workbook 4-pager to identify what you truly want.
Reason 7. You lack support
You are 95% more likely to stick to new habits if you have an accountability network.
That’s huge.
Of course, you alone are responsible for your success. You have to be your own cheerleader.
But why make it harder than it has to be?
For a motivation boost, surround yourself with like-minded people who encourage you.
And if you don’t know anyone, you can check out Meetup, Facebook groups, online forums, and other groups to find support.
This is the key to success
Double-check that you have concrete goals you can act on. Not aspirations.
Then break your vision into small steps. Get a beautiful notebook or a goal planner to make your plan tangible. Your next 2-3 action steps should always be clear.
A goal planner will also help you celebrate your progress. Not just your successes.
Big dreams are made of small, and often boring, tasks. Don’t wait until you reach a milestone to reward yourself.
Also, remind yourself every day why your goals matter.
Imagine how you will feel when you reach them. This will fuel your motivation like nothing else.
Need help to get started? Download your free daily goal planner to keep you on track.
And make sure you watch the FREE Ninja Goal-Setting Class.
Improve yourself. Improve your life!
read this next!
- 28 Personal Development Activities to Ace Your Life
- 7 Motivation Hacks to Stay Excited About Your Goals
- 7 Reasons Why You’ll Never Reach Your Goals
- The Joy Factor: The Secret Ingredient to Crush Your Goals - July 13, 2023
- Areas of Personal Growth – Focus on Just One - September 3, 2022
- Let No One Stop You From Following Your Dreams - August 13, 2022
